#Speaker #Confident

THREE MAGICAL P’S

Let’s learn some pro tips to be a confident and fluent Speaker that I have learnt.

Generated using ChatGPT

I know many of you struggle with public speaking, and this is something almost everyone wants to improve to build a strong career. Public speaking is important for success and for reaching the peak of your professional journey.

Everyone has lots to say on everything, but the only thing that keeps them away from speaking is shyness and the question, “How to articulate their thought?”

Everyone has this potential to say, but they just need some confidence. That’s why we prefer to remain silent.

I am also one of you — I have faced the fear of public speaking too. And what I have discovered is that this fear is experienced by almost everyone, no matter who they are. It has nothing to do with knowledge.

Instead, it is closely connected to confidence, and confidence is closely connected to knowledge and success.

We know that confidence is not something we are born with. We gain confidence through our life experiences, achievements, and growth. Success naturally fills us with confidence. We don’t need to “learn” confidence; we simply need to keep moving toward our goals and dreams, and confidence will grow along the way.

Now, let’s come back to public speaking — something even highly successful people still struggle with.

Public speaking is a skill you have to learn and master, and you definitely can improve it. The very first thing you need to work on is your three P’s:

Pronunciation

I am not saying your English has to be perfect. Public speaking is not limited to any one language — you can be a great speaker in any language.

The main thing we need to improve is the clarity of our words and our pronunciation. But if you make a mistake while speaking, there is no need to hesitate. Everyone makes mistakes, and we learn from them.

And there are various pronunciations for every word in English, as accents are different. So, just chill. Only learn the clarity.

Posture

You should be confident and stand or sit straight when you are talking to someone. Make eye contact with a person for at least 3 seconds. I once heard that the biggest respect you can give someone is to talk to them while looking into their eyes. No matter where you are or who you are with, this always makes a difference.

Your body language should also be confident. Don’t hide yourself; just be relaxed. Let your hands move naturally as you speak. Don’t try to control or force your gestures — be open and comfortable.

“OWN THE STAGE”

If you still feel afraid, remember one thing: you have only two choices — speak or die. If you choose not to speak, you will die inside. When you truly realize this, nothing else will matter, and fear will no longer control your mind.

Practice

Yes, this is the main P, which stands for Practice. You should practice on a daily basis. You can record yourself or talk while looking into the mirror. I think recording is the best option because it helps you understand your weaknesses and the areas where improvement is needed.

You can also improve words where your pronunciation is incorrect. Daily speaking practice is very important. There are a few exercises you can do before going on stage to help your words flow smoothly.

There is a popular Deepika Padukone exercise where you hold a pen or pencil in your mouth and try to speak. It helps improve clarity and flow in your speech.

Take a deep breath and relax with the sound “Ahhhhh….”

You can also do different mouth exercises to warm up your voice. Here are a few:

• Open your lips and create the sound “Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba…”
• Close your lips, push them outward, and make a “Brrrrrr…” sound like kids do.
• Open your mouth wide and make the “La La La La La…” sound using your tongue.
• Make a siren-like sound, “Weeaaawwww…,” moving your pitch from low to high.

I hope it will help you improve your speaking skills.

— Monika Mahadev🌸